| Covering a complex issue such as energy policy is problematic for any deadline newsgathering institution, but energy policy, as a political issue, is critical to the future health of the planet and its inhabitants. A relative handful of daily newspapers cover renewable energy issues frequently, accurately and thoroughly. They do so by investing significant resources in a specialized energy beat, covered by a trained reporter who draws on sources outside the newsroom for statistical, economic and technical expertise. Production requirements, institutional issues and agenda-setting judgments affect the ways in which newspapers cover renewable energy---and by extension energy policy in general. The public has proven to be more receptive to renewable energy initiatives than are policy makers in general. In markets where newspapers provide inadequate coverage of renewable energy issues, perceptive readers find the information they need in long-deadline media. The newspaper has a role to play in providing evidence to policy makers that political will exists to undertake clean energy initiatives. |
